Saw-horse bracket



March 28, 1967 D. D. KRIPLEN 3,311,194

SAW-HORSE BRACKET Filed March 25, 1966 /NVENTOR. DOA/ALP 0, K RIP; 5

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United States Patent 3,311,194 SAW-HORSE BRACKET Donald D. Kriplen, 3450 W. 56th St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46208 Filed Mar. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 537,442 7 Claims. (Cl. 182226) This invention relates to a bracket which can be easily and economically constructed of sheet-metal parts and which is adapted for use in the construction of saw-horses and like articles having a horizontally extending member or head provided with downwardly diverging legs. Brackets for such general purpose are old, but those of which I am aware have either been relatively complicated and expensive or not well suited to accommodate for variations in the transverse dimensions of the head and legs they are to receive.

A bracket in accordance with my invention comprises two main pieces, a restrainer plate and a spreader, both adapted to be readily formed from sheet metal. The restrainer plate has a pair of spaced openings each adapted to receive one of a pair of legs the upper ends of which will extend obliquely upwardly beyond the plate for engagement with opposite sides of the head member. Preferably, the plate is provided between its openings with two upwardly projecting tongues positioned to receive between them the head member, such tongues desirably diverging from each other to accommodate and provide a seat for head members of varying thickness. The spreader, which will be located between the legs and below the plate, is connected to the plate by a bolt which, when tightened, draws the spreader upwardly causing the legs to fulcrum on the outer edges of the plate-openings and grip the head disposed between the upper leg ends.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmental end elevation of a saw-horse embodying a bracket in accordance with my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the restrainer plate forming part of such bracket.

The saw-horse illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises two pairs of downwardly diverging legs 10 and a horizontal member or head 11 extending between the upper ends of the leg-pairs. As shown, the legs and head are of lumber of appropriate lengths and are interconnected by means of a pair of brackets each of which functions to cause the head to be gripped between the upper ends of the associated legs.

The bracket with which my invention is concerned comprises a restrainer plate 12 through which the legs pass, a spreader 13 disposed between the legs and below the plate 12, and a bolt 14 by which the spreader may be drawn toward the plate to spread the lower ends of the legs and cause their upper ends to grip the heads 11. The plate 12 is conveniently formed from a rectangular piece of sheet-metal provided with a pair of openings 16 for passage of the legs 10, such openings being separated by a bridge 17 extending between the sides of the plate, which are desirably bent from the central plate portion to form stiffening flanges 18. Desirably, the flanges lie in planes which diverge downwardly at an angle of about 45 to the vertical, so as to stiffen the plate as a whole against deformation both in and out of its plane. The openings 16 are so formed as to leave tongues 19 integral with the bridge 17, such tongues being bent upwardly desirably into an upwardly diverging relationship, as will be clear from FIG. 1. The tongues 19 serve not only to provide a seat for the head 11 but also to stiffen "ice the bridge 17 against deformation by the force exerted on it by the bolt 14. Hot-rolled, mild steel of 14 gauge has been found to be an appropriate material for the plate.

The bolt 14 is conveniently a carriage bolt the squared shank-portion of which occupies a square hole 20 at the center of the bridge 17. The bolt extends downwardly from the bridge passes through the spreader 13, and is provided below the spreader with a nut 22. The spreader may be of any material strong enough to sustain the load imposed on it by tightening of the bolt 14, but is conveniently a strip of 12-gauge mild steel desirably having its ends 23 bent downwardly to provide smooth, rounded surfaces for engagement with the inner faces of the legs 10.

The openings 16 in the plate 12 are dimensioned to re ceive loosely the pieces of lumber which are to constitute the legs 10. In most instances, the legs will be formed of pieces of standard 2 x 4 lumber, as Will also the head 11, although the bracket is useable to support heads of any desired width. The tongues 19, which preferably diverge upwardly at an angle of between 15 and 25 degrees, are so spaced from each other that a standard piece of 2-inch lumber will be snugly received between them at about the mid-point of their height.

In using the bracket illustrated, the legs 10 pass through the openings 16 in the plate 12, and the head 11 is seated between the tongues 19 and between the upper ends of the legs. By tightening the bolt 14, the spreader 13 is drawn upwardly, causing the legs 10 to fulcrum on the outer edges of the openings 16 and grip the head 11 between their upper ends. In order to inhibit the outer edges of the openings 16 from cutting into the legs, an action which would tend to create play or looseness in the entire construction, the metal at those edges is desirably bent, conveniently upwardly, to form flanges 16' providing smooth, rounded surfaces for engagement with the legs. Considerable variation in the thickness of the legs and head can be tolerated, since the extent to which the legs 10 project above the plate 12 can be varied, and limited variations in the thickness of the head '11 will not interfere with seating of the head between the diverging tongues 19.

I claim:

1. A bracket for use in forming a saw-horse or like structure having a horizontally extending head and downwardly diverging legs, said bracket comprising a restrainer plate provided with two openings adapted to receive loosely a pair of legs, said openings being separated by a bridge, a spreader engageable at its ends with the opposed surfaces of downwardly diverging legs received in the openings of said plate, and a bolt passing through said bridge and spreader for drawing the spreader and plate toward each other, said bridge being provided with upwardly projecting bridge-stiffening tongues providing a seat for a head to be gripped between the upper ends of the legs as said bolt is tightened.

2. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein the tongues diverge upwardly to accommodate heads of different thicknesses.

3. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and said tongues are upwardly bent portions of such sheet-metal.

4. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and the side edge portions of the plate are bent out of the plane of the plate to form stiflening flanges located in diverging planes.

5. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and the side edge portions of the plate are bent out of the plane of the plate to form stiffening flanges.

6. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate is formed of a single piece of sheet metal and the metal at the outer edges of the openings is bent out of the plane of the plate to provide smooth, rounded surfaces for engagement with the legs.

7. A bracket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said spreader is formed of sheet metal and has its leg-engaging ends bent to provide smooth, rounded surfaces for engagement with the legs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BRACKET FOR USE IN FORMING A SAW-HORSE OR LIKE STRUCTURE HAVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING HEAD AND DOWNWARDLY DIVERGING LEGS, SAID BRACKET COMPRISING A RESTRAINER PLATE PROVIDED WITH TWO OPENINGS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LOOSELY A PAIR OF LEGS, SAID OPENINGS BEING SEPARATED BY A BRIDGE, A SPREADER ENGAGEABLE AT ITS ENDS WITH THE OPPOSED SURFACES OF DOWNWARDLY DIVERGING LEGS RECEIVED IN THE OPENINGS OF SAID PLATE, AND A BOLT PASSING THROUGH SAID BRIDGE AND SPREADER FOR DRAWING THE SPREADER AND PLATE TOWARD EACH OTHER, SAID BRIDGE BEING PROVIDED WITH UPWARDLY PROJECTING BRIDGE-STIFFENING TONGUES PROVIDING A SEAT FOR A HEAD TO BE GRIPPED BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE LEGS AS SAID BOLT IS TIGHTENED. 